My childhood part III

Other than having flashbacks at seeing myself on the floor in our entrance hall I remember my red coat with an attached cape which reached just to my wrists. I also had an invisible friend. That is, invisible to other people but very real to me. This person was Little Red Riding hood. Walking with my mother there always had to be space between her and me each of us reaching toward the invisible person between us. I have no idea how long I kept this up, maybe only during a few weeks in spring since I do not associate really cold weather with this memory.

Though of equal importance was the telephone tree on Elm St. the one block of shops which served our area. This tree stood ,and maybe still stands,close to the curb opposite the row of shops.It occupies almost half of the sidewalk. About twenty years ago, when I last visited that neighborhood it was still there and seemingly perfectly healthy.I would judge it to be at least a hundred years old since it’s trunk was about a meter in circumference, Whenever we approached the tree I would run ahead abandoning my mother and Little Red Riding Hood to make a phone call pretending to dial and then talking to someone though I don’t remember to whom.

When I was six years old I learned to ride a bike. Looking at the fancy bicycles in my neighborhood I marvel at the change in design and modernization. My first bicycle was positively primitive as were most bicycles the. For example there were no, and I mean no, pedal breaks. The tires were just half-inch thick rubber. Not filled with air to cushion the ride. I don’t think it took me long to learn to balance myself and ride on the sidewalk though I think I fell a few times. Scraped knees were par for the cause for all of us kids. We climbed trees and practiced who could climb highest and still jump down.

Another favorite game was: swinging as hard as one could and then jumping and seeing who could jump furthest. Or we would load the seat of the swing with as many who could possibly fit: at least two sitting and one or two standing sideways. When we were ready to swing we would sing some of our favorite songs of which we knew many. Mpst of these adventures were performed in the garden of our friends the Renners. Dr. and Dukka Renner were friends of my parents. They had five children of whom only the oldest,Willy, was a son. The middle child was my best friend ever since we were quite small. Her name was Barbara which was shortened to Bear.It seems to have been a custom generally to attach nicknames to people. I just now, as I am writing this remember that even later in school my classmates would complain that they couldn’t turn my name “Kirsten” into a proper nickname.Maybe, had we been speaking English we easily would have come up with “Kitty”.

Bår and I were just about inseparable. We had music lessons together, started school together ,played together and often slept over in each others house.Though it was much more fun staying at their place since we were all in the same room together except for the baby Marianne better known as Mücke which actually means “mosquito”, which meant, we could tell stories or chitchat or plot next day’s play we were enacting. These plays always centered around a king (Willy),a queen Hessa to oldest Renner daughter and Bår the princess. I had to play a prince because of my boyish haircut. It was already then evident I had no talent for acting because I always started to giggle when I was supposed to kiss the princess. This close friendship lasted throughout my early childhood.